


They're Your Headphones Now

by A_Dying_Wolf_Dying_With_Dignity



Series: Us Against It All (Plangst Week) [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst with a Surprise Ending, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Violence, Pangst, Pidge | Katie Holt Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-30 19:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11470173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Dying_Wolf_Dying_With_Dignity/pseuds/A_Dying_Wolf_Dying_With_Dignity
Summary: Day Six of Plangst Week: Dreams/NightmaresEverybody has dreams, including Pidge. Only, her dreams double as her aspirations, and there's one she and Lance have in common. It's only a matter of time before he wakes up so they can make that dream come true, unless she was doomed to live a nightmare in reality.





	They're Your Headphones Now

On this night, Pidge dreamed of home back on Earth.

She had found Matt and their father, and Voltron successfully brought peace to the universe. Since the universe would still need Voltron, they chose to all stay as a team. They needed to celebrate, though, so they finally were able to return to Earth to see those they left behind.

Her dream brought her back to her mom, who was left all alone after her loved ones were presumed dead. The woman they left behind was in tears as she tackled them all, cradling each of their heads in their arms, giving them kisses and promising to never let them go again. Once she calmed down, she led them inside to cook them their favorite foods.

They passed by a shrine with each of their pictures surrounded by flowers and incense on the coffee table without mentioning it. They couldn't begin to imagine how much she struggled to stay strong without them.

Pidge wanted to cry as she ate dream peanut butter cookies with a glass of milk. Her mom's cooking was heavenly as always, especially after spending the past couple years eating strange alien foods and space goo. She'd be sure to bring all the cookies she could carry - enough to fill two suitcases, perhaps - with her when she'd have to report back to the Castle of Lions, but that time can wait. For now, she just wanted to spend time with her family.

All four of them sat at the dining table like the good old days, laughing and chatting and the house full of life. Pidge talked about the things she's learned as the Green Paladin of Voltron, all the technology and what she's discovered about herself. Matt and their father glossed over their imprisonment by the Galra as much as possible to not worry the woman they left behind, instead going on about fighting together to bring the Galra Empire down.

She felt warm, so content, right where she needed to be. When her mom asked about the other paladins, she was quick to answer.

" _Right! Forgot to tell you that one of them's my boyfriend!_ "

" _I still can't believe my sister has a better love life than me..._ "

" _Shut up, Matt._ " They all shared a good laugh at that. " _Anyways, his name's Lance..._ "

That was the moment the dream faded away. In reality, she was sleeping while sitting up on a step, body propped against cold glass. Her head lolled so far back she nearly fell, the motion jolting her awake to straighten her posture. She let out a small squeak in shock and looked around.

It came to her that she was still on the ship, in space, god knows how many lightyears away from Earth. Both her brother and father were still missing, and Zarkon is yet to be defeated. Nothing's actually changed, her dream just a fantasy that can't be reached yet.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room she was in. The only light was coming from the activated healing pod she'd fallen asleep against. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled through a sigh, standing up to gaze upon the familiar sight once again.

Lance was currently inside the healing pod. The last mission left him sustaining heavy injuries, more than anyone else given he ended up experiencing a large amount of head trauma, so he was put in there as soon as he collapsed outside his lion. Pidge has been camping out beside him ever since then - three days ago - waiting for him to wake up any time now so he at least wouldn't be alone.

Inside, she made out the green headphones she placed over his ears before he was put into stasis. She could tell his body was aching with new bruises and cuts. Listening to the Spanish guitar instrumentals kept him from freaking out too much while the pod was being set up. Then she figured he should hear them when he wakes up, resulting in her monitoring her laptop's music settings, made better after she established a connection between the two without the need for the aux cord.

"My family would probably be wary at first, but I'm sure they'll love you," she muttered, voice echoing softly throughout the room. "We'll all go home one day, and we can meet each other's families, and..." Her forehead pressed against the glass, a hand up as well to place over where Lance's heart is. If only they didn't have this pod to separate them.

"... and, years from now... we can make our own family... Till then, we've got a job to do."

She closed her eyes and recounted the dream she just had. She wanted to go back to Earth as much as the rest of them, but as she said, there was work to be done involving a tyrant they had to bring down. Everyone was moving towards saving the universe and all those living in it other than themselves. If it came down to dying for that cause, then so be it.

That's the part she tried to pretend she wasn't afraid of - dying as a result of all the fighting. However, it wasn't her own death she feared. Matter of fact, her friends were used to her constant declarations of how she's accepted death, both ironically and unironically. It was the idea that any one of those she's come to care about can potentially die in their line of duty.

It went without saying she was the most worried about Lance even after pushing the factor of him being her boyfriend out of the way. He gets himself into trouble easily and is more likely than not to drag her and the others into it. They've all chided him at one point or another on how he needed to be more careful otherwise he'd put them - or worse, himself - through more near-death experiences. After all, there's always the chance that one of those moments could be their last.

In her ideal dream, everyone makes it out of this alive. They'll have this giant celebration over the end to Zarkon's reign that would last for about a week, going from planet to planet to stuff themselves with food and tell their own stories about the adventures they've shared. She and Lance can have some alone time to think about how far they've come and there was still so much in store for them. When possible, she'll take the family she's recovered and her boyfriend back to her mom on Earth, and while there he'd take her to Cuba to meet his massive family he's vividly told her about.

Even if they couldn't retire from Team Voltron, they'd still find time to start a family for themselves. With her brains and his charm and accuracy, their children could become the next unstoppable paladins of Voltron. The legacy they had in their grasp was theirs to control.

Now, if only Lance could just _wake up already_ so they could make that dream come true.

"... Why you, Lance?" she questioned under her breath. "Of all the people who could've taken up this mission, why were _you_ one of us who got caught in it? Had you avoided this, you wouldn't have to be so homesick all the time. You could be with your family, taking care of them, helping them make ends meet. It's what you've wanted, right?"

Pidge has always wondered about how things might've been if they never got pulled into this Voltron madness in the first place together. Maybe she'd still be here, just without the guy with whom they used each other' shoulders to cry on. He could be back on Earth with his family, where he belongs. He could be happy and not have to face this life where he could die at any time if they're not careful. All it would've taken was if he hadn't decided to follow her to the rooftop that one fateful night.

The thing is, she knew that's not what he'd want. She's listened to enough of his aspirations to know he's grateful for all of this, including every injury that's made him stronger both physically and mentally. He wants to travel the galaxy with the rest of them because now they're all family. Because now he and Pidge are together and he doesn't regret that one bit like he doesn't regret everything else that's occurred in their lives.

Suddenly, she felt her throat tighten and her eyes heavy with tears. "Because of you, I found a dream I want to make a reality, and I need you by my side for that to happen. None of this would be possible if I never had you in my life. You tell me that home is where the heart is. Well..."

Her forehead shifted, sliding over to where her hand on the glass is. "For me, home is where _your_ heart is, where we're together listening to music from _your headphones_ , where you're holding me while I'm working with my laptop, where you're giving me that cheesy smile..." Droplets of tears broke free, rolling down her reddening cheeks. "... and if it weren't for this pod, I'd be right at home right this moment, working with you towards _our dream_."

Her small body shook against the glass as she struggled to muffle her hiccups and sobs, turning away from the pod to wipe her tears away. She hated crying like this, with this feeling of weakness overtaking her, and she wondered if she was currently stuck in a nightmare. Waking up might only be an illusion her subconscious came up to screw with her. Like some kind of reminder that their dream should just stay a dream.

With her hands over her mouth, she continued to let it all out, that she didn't hear the pod finally open. Her anguished sobbing prevented her from tuning in on the padding of footsteps coming up from behind. Closed eyelids didn't let her make out the silhouette of a body that'd be in the corner of her peripheral vision.

It was when she felt something slip onto her head and over her ears that she stilled. Faint melodies of Spanish guitar flowing into her ears was what jerked her tears into a stop. Welcoming yet still cold arms wrapped around her, holding her against someone's chest until nothing else came out of her mouth. There wasn't a need for words for what was going on.

That was the moment the nightmare faded away.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: There's an original ending where Lance was supposed to die in his sleep, but that idea was scrapped because it sucked ass.


End file.
